GRF Young Professionals Program
2016-2017 Term
Second Meeting

The second meeting of the 2016-2017 term of the GRF Young Professionals Program, which aims to provide a platform for young professionals who are equipped with the resolve, background, and experience to contribute to the future of Turkey and the world, was held on February 11, 2017, in Istanbul.

The theme of the 2016-2017 GRF Young Professionals Program was designated as “technology”. The discussions and presentations were organized around three main topics: new and lost jobs, geography of the new economy, and the impact of algorithms.

Accordingly, the participants discussed possible disruptions to the job market due to rapid improvements in artificial intelligence technology and the consequent wave of automation. The group also deliberated on policy measures to mitigate the negative impacts of lost jobs on the distribution of wealth and discussed the shifting geography of global value chains. Finally, the participants considered the widespread employment of algorithms by tech and finance giants, and discussed the corrosive effects of big data on the rights of individuals.

The presenters used the following books as a reference point in addressing their selected topics:

1.NEW JOBS/LOST JOBS

Humans need not apply - Jerry Kaplan

The future of the professions - Richard Susskind

The rise of the robots - Martin Ford

2. NEW INDUSTRIES/GEOGRAPHY OF THE NEW ECONOMY

Industries of the future - Alec Ross

The fourth industral revolution - Klaus Schwab

Production in the innovation economy - ed Richard Locke and Rachel Wellhausen

3. ALGORITHMS AND THE SOCIETY

The master algorithm - Pedro Domingos

The intelligent web - Gautam Shroff

The black box society - Frank Pasquale